#219: Stained Glass Windows

Filtering light, and perspectives

Like any window, stained glass mesmerises. But, unlike other windows, it is not the view that we see through it that is the focus, but the imagined view it contains. Put simply, stained glass is a light painting, an illuminated wall decoration. Only at the right time of day will it shine in its full potential.

Stained glass windows are ancient creations, an art which has existed for centuries, whether that be to commemorate a loved one, or to form part of the atmosphere of a religious sanctuary. Just this morning, David Hockney revealed his own stained glass creation, celebrating the Queen’s reign, and designed on an iPad no less. I have even been unintentionally making my own ‘stained glass windows’ out of bedsheets, the result of trying to stop the annoying flashing of a broken street light from disturbing our sleep. I woke up to find the room bathed in green, blue, red, and white light.

Filtered light captivates us, but why? It is aesthetically beautiful. Coloured light also affects the mood of a room: where red light means danger, blue makes it cold, and moving from white to yellow light transforms a room from cool and clinical to warm cosiness. When you combine all these colours and more, the multicoloured effect makes it unique, artistic, fun, like the sighting of a rainbow in the distance.

Yet more than just a bit of fun, or an object of beauty, a stained glass window holds the potential for a pause of contemplation. Not just on the image it may contain, but on the symbolic meaning of a window not made to look outwards, but inwards.

“Lord, how can man preach thy eternal word?
He is a brittle crazy glass;
Yet in thy temple thou dost him afford
This glorious and transcendent place,
To be a window, through thy grace.

But when thou dost anneal in glass thy story,
Making thy life to shine within
The holy preachers, then the light and glory
More reverend grows, and more doth win;
Which else shows waterish, bleak, and thin.

Doctrine and life, colors and light, in one
When they combine and mingle, bring
A strong regard and awe; but speech alone
Doth vanish like a flaring thing,
And in the ear, not conscience, ring.”

~ George Herbert

What does light filtering through glass do to our perspective? Are we enlightened, or led astray? A stained glass window depicts significant moments in history, memorialises saints, and contains an abundance of symbols. It is a source of inspiration, but it may not always be ‘truthful’.

Unlike the revelatory symbol of light, or the encouragement of a window to look out onto the world, a stained glass window symbolises the way we view the world through filtered lenses. Our perspectives are coloured, and we do not know whether these colours lead us closer to the light of revelation, or further into darkness.

In all its glory, a stained glass window does not tell us the truth in a new colour of light. Instead, it suggests the possibility of colouring our imaginations anew, and pausing in a moment of artistic contemplation.

Katie writes a weekly blog post about random objects that she finds in her everyday life. If you’re interested in reading more, check out her blog Object, a collaboration with fellow Medium blogger Eleanor, and sign up for the monthly newsletter (containing exclusive content) below. You can also follow us on Twitter at @ObjectBlog.